The lake level has been in decline since the early 2000s, DNR records show, and reached an all-time low Nov. 19.

A preliminary study released this year by the U.S. Geological Survey said pumping contributed to the falling water level.

Groups have been meeting since then to discuss solutions, but no main fix has emerged.

"The time for talking is over," said Jan Conlin, an attorney for the plaintiffs. "We felt we needed to bring an action to move this in the right direction."

DNR spokesman Chris Niskanen said the agency would not comment on the suit until it had a chance to review it.

The lake has fallen 5 feet below its ordinary high-water mark, leaving large stretches of the lake bed exposed.

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What aren't visible, the lawsuit noted, are the underlying Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifers, which likewise have been drawn down by pumping and have taken the lake with them.

If the DNR and the commissioner don't restore the lake and aquifers, the suit alleges, declining water levels "have caused or are likely to cause increased pollution and destruction."

The lawsuit asks the court to force the DNR to restore the lake to about 4 feet above its current level.

It also asks the court to set a protected elevation for the underlying aquifer and prevent the DNR and other agencies from allowing pumping that would drop the lake and aquifer below the protected elevations.

The lawsuit notes that since 1980, because of the DNR's approval of municipal water appropriation permits, "annual groundwater withdrawals by high-capacity wells near White Bear Lake more than doubled to a peak of nearly 6 billion gallons" in 2008.

The lake restoration association filed for nonprofit status with the state Oct. 10.

It is headed by resident Greg McNeely and Brian McGoldrick, owner of Admiral D's on Lake Avenue.

The lake bottom is exposed as water levels recede on White Bear Lake in White Bear Lake, Minn., on Tuesday, November 27, 2012. In the background is Tally's Dockside bar. (Pioneer Press: Ben Garvin)

org, the group said it is working toward three goals:

-- Increase awareness about the low water levels.

-- Return the lake to its "normal and average historic water levels."

-- Restore "a community resource for future generations of Minnesotans."

It is also seeking $500,000 in donations to "offset costs related to the suit," the site said.

Its Facebook page, facebook.com/wblra, features an image of the lake taken in the Commercial Bay, which has been transformed into a mudflat.

A phone number for the group was not answered Tuesday morning.

Conlin, a partner in the law firm Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, said her clients are a small group looking to "enact a large solution for a large problem."

She said the association doesn't necessarily think the DNR has the wherewithal to fix the lake and aquifer on its own.

"The association is really willing to work with the DNR and others to meet the water demands of the region without unnaturally affecting the water levels in White Bear Lake and the aquifer," Conlin said.